NEW YORK — The Celtics again had a hole in their rotation for Saturday’s Game 3 showdown with the New York Knicks.
Boston downgraded bench sharpshooter Sam Hauser from doubtful to out ahead of its Eastern Conference semifinal matchup at Madison Square Garden.
It was the second straight DNP for Hauser, who sprained his right ankle during the Celtics’ Game 1 loss at TD Garden. He traveled with the team to MSG and did not have a visible limp when he entered the arena, but the team evidently determined he was not fit to play.
Hauser was the Celtics’ most efficient 3-point shooter during the regular season (team-best 41.6% from beyond the arc) but has been quiet this postseason. Over six playoff appearances before his injury, he totaled 16 points on 13 field-goal attempts and was held scoreless four times.
At least one rotation player has been inactive for six of Boston’s eight playoff games, with Jayson Tatum sitting out Game 2 of its opening-round series against Orlando and Jrue Holiday sitting out Games 3, 4 and 5 against the Magic.
The Celtics, who blew consecutive 20-point home leads against the Knicks to fall behind 0-2 in the best-of-seven East semis, had the rest of their roster available Saturday. That included center Kristaps Porzingis, who’s been limited by a lingering illness.
Porzingis played just 27 total minutes over the first two games against New York and did not start the second, coming off the bench for just the fifth time in his 10-year NBA career.
“I’m dealing with some, I don’t know how to call it, but I’m just not feeling my best,” Porzingis said after Game 2. “I’m not feeling my best at all, but it just kills me inside that it’s happening in this moment, and what I’m super appreciative about is about the support that I have on the inside, and also probably from the fans. But especially here inside the organization in this tough moment for me to not be able to be with the guys. It’s not no injury or nothing, but I’m just not feeling my best, and it’s tough for me, honestly. But who cares? Nobody feels sorry for us, sorry for me, and we have to keep going.”
The Celtics removed Porzingis from their injury report Saturday — a positive sign for the ailing big man — but kept him in his bench role. Al Horford got the start for Game 3.
“(Porzingis has) gotten better,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said pregame. “He felt better yesterday. I haven’t talked to him today yet, so we’ll see how it goes. But he’ll give it a go, and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
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